Ceiling Cracks Repaired by My Foundation Repair

Knowing the difference in ceiling cracks can reduce your stress and help save your home. All homes and businesses are subject to movement, that is normal. It can be caused by weather fluctuations or by settling groundwork below the home or business. If you are seeing cracks in your ceiling, there are a few things to check to see if the cracks in the ceiling are due to age or structural damage.

Where are the cracks located? The location of the cracks in your ceiling are a good way to tell what is going on. Normally, if the crack is located along the edges of the ceiling it is because of house settlement. Cracks across the middle of a room can be troublesome and should be addressed immediately by one of the professionals at My Foundation Repairs. Multiple, wide, or long cracks in the middle of the ceiling should be looked at as there may be more going on than the everyday home or business owner can detect.

Are your ceilings bowed? If you notice a bow in your ceiling along with visible signs of cracking , that is a sign of a large problem. The joists in a home can only support a certain amount of weight, but once that weight is surpassed then the support weakens, the ceiling sags, and before you know it the ceiling collapses.

Ceiling Crack Repair

If ceiling cracks are a result of a foundation problem, My Foundadtion Repairs has contractors that use underpinning products manufactured by Earth Contact Products (ECP), the leader in foundation repair products in the industry. These ECP underpinning products are steel push piers and helical piers. These piers are driven deep into the ground through unstable soil layers until they reach a solid soil layer. Then each pier is load tested. After load testing the entire weight of the structure is transferred onto the piers to level and stabilize the foundation.

So if you notice ceiling cracks, it is important to contact a professional to come and inspect your home and see if the cracks are due to foundation problems. My Foundation Repairs will send a contractor out to give you a free inspection and offer you the best foundation repair solutions for your repair needs. It is important to get the repair done as soon as the issue is noticed. The sooner you get your foundation repair done, the least amount of structural damage will occur throughout your home.

Ceiling Cracks are Often Times Normal

What do matching vertical cracks mean? A crack that runs vertically across the ceiling and continue onto the wall are a major concern. This is a sign of structural damage to the home or business in question. Usually this can be attributed to a natural disaster such as an earthquake or tornado, the settling of a home over an extended time, or a man made incident. Note that the size of the crack can help you determine the severity of your problem. You can contact My Foundation Repairs to schedule an estimate.

What does the term spiderweb cracks mean? Spiderweb cracks are not necessarily located just in the ceiling of a home or business. They can also be found in walls, floors, and grout lines. Most of the time a spiderweb crack appears in older homes and is caused by the settling of a house or business. Spiderwebs are normal; however, with this being said if you notice a crack that is over 1/16 inches wide, contact a professional to investigate the situation.

The most common reason for ceiling cracks is moisture, and frankly that is normal also. It is recommended to find the source of the moisture and eliminate the problem. Moisture often times is the result of improper water drainage. Perhaps, the gutter system is clogged or there is another cause for the roof to leak. This moisture, change in temperature, and air floor change can cause cracks. Thankfully My Foundation Repairs is here to help you.

Types of Basement Construction

There are several types of basement construction. The basement foundation of a home provides the strength to keep the home and foundation standing in all types of weather and environmental changes. There are three types of basement construction that are the most common. These are:

Poured concrete

Block, masonry walls

Precast panels

Poured concrete basement is the most common and the choice that most people prefer. This type of basement construction starts by pouring the footing for the basement foundation. After these are set, forms are used to hold the poured concrete wall in place as they dry. Poured concrete walls tend to be stronger than other types of basement walls.

A block or masonry wall is the least expensive for basement walls. This type of basement wall construction is made from cinder blocks. This method requires less time than other methods of basement construction. To increase the durability of this type of basement construction, steel rebar is sometimes used to reinforce the masonry wall.

Precast panel basement wall construction is the method where the walls are molded at another location. Then the walls are transported to the building and place on footers. This type of basement construction is quite strong but is not as commonly done as poured or block basements.

No matter what type of basement wall you may have, each type has its own sets of problems that can arise. A block concrete basement wall will bow easier than other types due to the pressure against the walls that weakens the mortar joints.

The high hydrostatic pressure outside a poured concrete basement can cause water to seep through due to the pressure creating floor and wall cracks.

Precast panel basement construction can have moisture problems if the joists are not properly sealed causing moisture vapor to get trapped in the panels. These panels can also attract insects unless they have been treated with boric acid.

Concrete Foundation Repair Solutions

No matter what type of basement concrete construction problem you may be having, the contractors at My Foundation Repairs has the solutions. We use only the best products for block foundation repair and any other type of concrete foundation. These products are manufactured byEarth Contact Products (ECP), the leader in foundation repair products in the industry.

To repair bowing basement walls, the contractors at My Foundation Repairs uses helical tieback anchors to pull the wall back to its original level. The installation is done by drilling a very small hole in the interior wall then with minimal outside excavation, the wall is pulled back to its original level. These helical tieback anchors also strengthen the wall so that there won't be any future bowing or leaning.

Wall plate anchors are used to provide supplemental lateral force to stabilize basement walls and retaining walls. These wall plate anchors have a simple effective design which allows the repair to be completed quickly. There is minimal disturbance to landscaping.

For any of your concrete foundation repair needs, let the professionals at My Foundation Repairs offer you the best repair solution for your needs. With our experience and using the best products in the industry, you can be assured that the repair will last a lifetime. Contact My Foundation Repairs today.

Concrete Foundation Repair

If you notice changes in the concrete around your home, it could be a sign that your concrete foundation is in need of repair. Some of changes in concrete to be aware of are:

Concrete scaling - Concrete scaling is the loss of surface mortar

Concrete spalling - Concrete spalling is easy to see as the concrete becomes rough and flaky

Concrete cracks

Concrete heaving

Concrete shrinking

If you notice any of these changes with your concrete, it can also mean that your concrete foundation may be in need of repair, too. Your foundation concrete is not as obvious to see as the concrete surrounding your home. When the concrete surrounding your home is damaged, this can mean that the soil beneath your concrete along with beneath your foundation has shifted and moved. This shifting of the soil beneath both your concrete and foundation will also cause them to shift and move as well. Knowing if your concrete foundation is damaged, you need to look around your home for some of the signs that may indicate that the foundation has shifted and moved. Some of these signs are:

Sloping floors

Wall cracks

Floor cracks

Ceiling cracks

Bowing or leaning walls

Leaning chimney

Sticking doors and windows

Any of these signs can mean that your foundation may be in need of repair. It is important that if you find any of these signs, to have an expert in foundation repair come and inspect your home and foundation. My Foundation Repairs has contractors that can come and give you a free inspection. These contractors use only the best products for foundation repair. These products are manufactured by Earth Contact Products (ECP), the leader in foundation repair products in the industry.

Foundation Repair Solutions

After the conctractor from My Foundation Repairs inspects your foundation and determines that it is in need of repair, they will find the best solution for your repair needs. To repair your foundation, we use underpinning products such as helical piers and steel push piers. We also repair concrete foundation walls using toebacls amd wall anchors.

Both the steel piers and helical piers are driven deep into the ground until they reach a solid soil layer. Then the piers are individually load tested and then using hydraulic jacks, the entire weight of the structure is lifted on the piers to lift and stablize the foundation.

Helical tieback anchors are used to stabilize and strengthen bowing concrete basement walls. These helical anchors are installed from inside the basement wall through a small hole and with small exterior excavation, the basement wall is immediately pulled back to its original design. These helical tieback anchors also strengthen the wall so that there won't be any future bowing or leaning of the wall.

If you see the concrete surrounding your home is damaged, then it is important to have a professional in foundation repair come and make inspect your foundation, too. The sooner the foundation is repaired, the lease amount of structural damage will occur throughout your home. Don't hesitate to contact My Foundation Repairs and let a contractor inspect your foundation.